In the use of equipment which employs x-ray tubes or other devices which require high voltages (on the range of 75 kilovolts), cable connections to such devices include a female insulating receptacle on the x-ray tube or high-voltage power source, and an insulating male sleeve which terminates the end of the high-voltage cable. The male sleeve is inserted into the female receptacle to make the electric connection, and the female receptacle and male sleeve are basically conventional components of high-voltage connectors. A fluid or viscus dielectric medium may be used in the small clearance space between the receptacle and sleeve to displace air which would otherwise provide a path for high voltage arcing and breakdown.
The high-voltage cable may extend one hundred feet or more between the high-voltage power source and the x-ray tube or other device, and the x-ray cable needs to be flexible for routing of the cable and to enable the operator to move the equipment to which the cable is connected without excessive effort. In facilitating the routing and movement of the cable, it is desireable that the junction between the cable and the male sleeve accommodates a wide range of cable movement. High-voltage cables of the prior art, therefore, incorporate a U-joint, pivot, or similar means which enables the operator to readily move or manipulate the cable. These means of joining the cable and male sleeve are not without their limitations, however.
Accordingly, a need has arisen for a high-voltage cable connection which is flexible at the junction between the male sleeve and the cable to accommodate a wide range of movement, and which is easily assembled, disassembled and repaired.